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Image: Michael Bihlmayer/CHROMORANGE/picture allianceImage: Michael Bihlmayer/CHROMORANGE/picture alliance

Euro

The euro is the official currency of the eurozone, which consists of 20 of the 27 EU member states. It is the second-largest reserve currency in the world after the US dollar.

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All Content on this topic

SPD-Parteitag in Berlin | Olaf Scholz, stellv. Vorsitzender

Scholz raises hopes for policy change

With the Social Democrats set to take over the German Finance Ministry hopes are rising in Europe's debt-laden south.
BusinessFebruary 7, 2018
Shopping in Germany

Eurozone economy is booming

Growth in the 19 eurozone countries is stronger than it's been at any time since the financial crisis 10 years ago.
BusinessJanuary 30, 201801:01 min
People wave Greek and EU flags outside the Greek parliament in Athens

Greece secures billions in bailout money

Eurozone finance ministers have praised Greece's progress, putting it on track to leave its bailout program this year.
PoliticsJanuary 23, 2018
Hamburg container port

German exports boosted by eurozone upswing

German shipments abroad have picked up considerably, fresh figures from the National Statistics Office have shown.
BusinessJanuary 9, 2018
external

Politics in 2018 - Europe

DW's Brussels correspondent Max Hoffman looks at what is at stake for the EU in 2018.
PoliticsJanuary 5, 201803:54 min
Angela Merkel at Emmanuel Macron EU summit

Merkel and Macron set eurozone reform plan deadline

German Chancellor Angela Merkel has said she wants to establish a joint proposal with France on reforms to the eurozone.
PoliticsDecember 15, 2017
European Council Hall, Brussels

EU leaders' summit: What's on the agenda?

As EU leaders meet in Brussels for the last time this year, Brexit, defense and migration dominate the agenda.
PoliticsDecember 14, 2017
Deutschland Frankfurter Buchmesse 2017 Eröffnung Merkel und Macron

Eurozone reform: move along, nothing to see here

The European Commission’s package of reforms for the single currency area have fallen on deaf ears in Berlin and London.
BusinessDecember 6, 2017
Belgien Brüssel Präsident der Eurogruppe Mario Centeno

'The Christiano Ronaldo of the Ecofin'

Mario Centeno has been elected as the new head of the group of eurozone finance ministers.
BusinessDecember 4, 2017
Deutschland Baustelle polnischer Arbeiter

German unemployment down in November

Europe's largest economy keeps powering ahead, creating more and more jobs and driving the unemployment rate further.
BusinessNovember 30, 2017
Emmanuel Macron und Angela Merkel Berlin

The French president's vision of Europe

French President Emmanuel Macron hopes to strengthen the eurozone, but he needs Germany's support.
SocietyNovember 23, 201703:36 min
Volkswagen Arteon R-line

EU car sales return to growth, but Brexit holding bloc back

Car sales in the European Union enjoyed their strongest October in eight years, despite poor performance in Britain.
BusinessNovember 16, 2017
Belgien EU-Parlament in Brüssel

Inside Europe: A call to relaunch and reform the EU

The European Union is currently grappling with a number of challenges from migration to Brexit. Amidst that backdrop, the Centre for European Reform or CER, a London-based think tank, has just issued a blue-print for change called ‘Relaunching the EU’. So what are its key proposals? Charles Grant is Director of the CER.
PoliticsNovember 10, 201705:38 min
German engineers

Eurozone growth at fastest pace in 10 years

The economic outlook for both the eurozone and the EU as a whole is increasingly upbeat, says the European Commission.
BusinessNovember 9, 2017
Euro Symbol Frankfurt

ECB cuts bond-buying stimulus

The European Central Bank has taken its biggest step yet towards unwinding years of loose monetary policy.
BusinessOctober 26, 2017
Süd-Italien Wirtschaftskrise Wirtschaftsminister Carlo Padoan

Rome urges ECB caution on bad loans

Italy has said it wants a rethink of the ECB's approach to tackling non-performing loans in the eurozone.
BusinessOctober 10, 2017
Head shot of a man in a black blazer with graying hair

Schäuble leaves, and even Greece is wistful

Jannis Papadimitriou
Athens is by no means joyful now that the German finance minister is leaving office, says Jannis Papadimitriou.
PoliticsOctober 10, 2017
German worker

Eurozone unemployment stable at eight-year low

Unemployment in the eurozone remained unchanged in August. Youth unemployment nonetheless remains high.
BusinessOctober 2, 2017
Südafrika Weltwirtschaftsforum in Durban Wofgang Schäuble

Schäuble: popular and vilified

Germany's next likely Bundestag president Wolfgang Schäuble is drawing mixed reactions following far-right gains.
PoliticsSeptember 29, 2017
USA Präsident Macron vor der UN-Vollversammlung

Macron’s plans put Eastern Europe on the spot

Macron is a man in a hurry, impatient to reinvigorate the eurozone. But will this mean a multispeed Europe?
BusinessSeptember 28, 2017
Paris: Emmanuel Macron and Angela Merkel

Can Merkel and Macron agree on EU's future?

Macron set out his vision for the bloc and wants Berlin's support, but Merkel's has been non-committal.
PoliticsSeptember 28, 2017
Barbara Wesel Kommentarbild App *PROVISORISCH*

Macron: Europe's savior?

Barbara Wesel
French President Emmanuel Macron is seeking to lay out a road map for the future of the EU, but he cannot do it alone.
PoliticsSeptember 26, 2017
Frankreich Emmanuel Macron, Präsident | Präsentation Europäische Initiative in Paris

Macron sets out vision for EU

France's president has set out his plan to reboot the European Union, expressly targeting skeptical German politicians.
PoliticsSeptember 26, 2017
Paris Emmanuel Macron And Angela Merkel Visit OFAJ - Paris

Macron: the pity and the chagrin

As French President Emmanuel Macron lays out his vision for a more federal Europe, we look at what he may want.
BusinessSeptember 26, 2017
Vegetables for sale

Eurozone inflation rate stuck below ECB target

The ECB's policy of infusing cash into markets hasn't yielded the desired effect yet.
BusinessSeptember 18, 2017
Wolfgang Schäuble Bundesfinanzminister

Schäuble urges caution over eurozone expansion

German Finance Minister Schäuble has urged all parties to heed the lessons from the eurozone's debt crisis.
PoliticsSeptember 14, 2017
German engineer

Slump in orders hits German factories

Industrial orders in Germany have experienced an unexpected drop, according to preliminary figures.
BusinessSeptember 6, 2017
A huge euro sign being renovated

ECB struggles with boundaries

The ECB knows it can not change its loose monetary policy too rapidly. But doing nothing is no option either.
BusinessSeptember 5, 2017
Unemployment line at the Federal Labor Agency

German unemployment still at historic low

The latest unemployment data from Europe's largest economy shows a strong jobs market.
BusinessAugust 31, 2017
Deutschland Hamburg Hafen - Container Terminal Burchardkai

Eurozone growth accelerating

The economies of the 19 countries sharing the euro currency expanded by more than previously forecast.
BusinessAugust 16, 2017
Griechenland, Ladenbesitzer wie Jannis Sisis (rechts) schätzen Nikos Roidos' Craft-Bier und freuen sich über das wachsende Interesse der Kunden

Greece: Brewing beer to defy the crisis

Craft beer is getting increasingly popular in the southern eurozone nation of Greece.
BusinessAugust 3, 2017
Frankreich Blockade in Douchy les Mines

French parliament adopts Macron's labor reform shakeup

Loosening workplace law was one of the central planks of Macron's recent election campaign.
PoliticsAugust 2, 2017
Polish building worker

EU joblessness drops to 9.1 percent

Unemployment in the eurozone is highest in Greece, while Germany had the second-lowest rate at 3.8 percent.
BusinessJuly 31, 2017
Workers in Brazil

IMF: 'Economic recovery on firmer footing'

The IMF says growth prospects are favorable in most world regions in the next two years.
BusinessJuly 24, 2017
USA Sitz des Internationalen Währungsfonds (IWF) in Washington DC

IMF approves loan to Greece

Global lender provides fresh billion-euro funding on condition Greece is able to meet its long-term debt payments.
BusinessJuly 21, 2017
Symbolbild Eurobonds

Abrupt ECB tapering could harm eurozone recovery

German government advisor Isabel Schnabel warns a quick end of the ECB's asset purchases will be dangerous.
BusinessJuly 20, 201703:29 min
A joint French-German cabinet meeting is held each year in the spring and autumn

French, German ministers meet in Paris

Defense, enterprise and education head the list for joint measures after the Franco-German cabinet meeting.
PoliticsJuly 13, 2017
Wofgang Schäuble

Schäuble wants review of EU finance rules

Germany warns that eurozone banking rules need reform amid new criticism.
BusinessJuly 10, 2017
Frankreich Wahlen Macron

Macron outlines vision for Franco-German alliance

French President Macron has outlined his plans in boost cooperation with Germany to drive reforms on the European level.
PoliticsJune 22, 2017
Finance chiefs: Germany's Wolfgang Schäuble, France's Bruno Le Maire, Greece's Euclid Tsakalotos, EU's Pierre Moscovici

Bailout for Greece agreed

A third bailout for Greece has been agreed by eurozone ministers meeting in Luxembourg, with the promise of IMF help.
PoliticsJune 15, 2017
Symbolbild Griechenland Parlament in Athen & EU

France wants 'flexibility' for Greek debt

Ahead of crunch eurozone talks on Thursday, France's finance minister said a deal on Greek debt was close.
BusinessJune 12, 2017
Belgien EU-Kommission Pressekonferenz Pierre Moscovici

Roadmap to a unified eurozone

The EU has unveiled a raft of controversial proposals aimed at strengthening the often dysfunctional eurozone.
BusinessMay 31, 2017
Symbolbild Griechenland Krise Regen

Eurozone fails to reach Greece debt deal

Eurozone finance ministers failed to reach a deal for fresh bailout cash for Greece.
BusinessMay 23, 201701:26 min
Greek flag

No deal reached over Greece's latest bailout

Eurozone finance ministers have failed to agree on a plan for a fresh bailout for Greece, due to a row over debt relief.
BusinessMay 23, 2017
Bundesaußenminister Sigmar Gabriel in den USA

German foreign minister calls for Greek debt relief

In a move that could cause friction in Berlin, Sigmar Gabriel has demanded a firm commitment to debt relief for Greece.
PoliticsMay 22, 2017
Production facility

Eurozone economy gathers momentum

The 19 nations sharing the euro have logged a moderate GDP growth rate for the first quarter.
BusinessMay 16, 2017
Deutschland Treffen Angela Merkel & internationale Finanz-Chefs - Christine Lagarde

IMF demands higher German wages

The global lender wants Germany to raid its fiscal coffers and spend more on infrastructure, higher wages and tax cuts.
BusinessMay 15, 2017
G7 finance summit

IMF, eurozone still at loggerheads over Greece

The IMF wants eurozone ministers to be more specific about debt relief for Greece.
BusinessMay 12, 2017
Frankreich Emmanuel Macron

Victory for Macron - Challenge for Europe?

President-elect Emmanuel Macron is determined to reform both France and the EU. Can he succeed?
PoliticsMay 11, 201725:59 min
Belgien EU-Kommission Pressekonferenz Pierre Moscovici

EU hikes growth outlook

The bloc predicts higher economic growth, but warns of uncertainties resulting from Brexit and protectionism.
BusinessMay 11, 2017